Meditation for a Novice

“Meditation is a tool to shake yourself awake. A way to discover what you love. A practice to return yourself to your body when the mind medleys threaten to usurp your sanity.”~Geneen Roth

“Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?” ―David Bader

“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there -buried under the 50,000 thoughts the average person thinks every day.”~Deepak Chopra

There are many people who meditate and there are many ways to do so. Many lineages and paths teach different ways. However, the benefits to this ancient, simple practice remain the same. They are abundant, affable, rejuvenating and soothing. I will explain my beginning processes of how I learned to meditate.

First, make a special place that you can go to meditate. We have created an altar in the  closet of our current, shoe-box apartment. This altar holds pictures of influential teachers and statues of Gods and Goddesses. Really, you don’t need to be so scenic, but this is what eases me into meditation. I light a candle to signify the burning of karma and to illuminate the truth. You may also wish to burn incense to clear the space of negativity and to invigorate or calm your senses. These things are just to help set the mood and they are not mandatory.

1. Prepare yourself by slipping into something comfy. You do not want to be distracted by your clothing. The aim is to relax.

2. Sit in a cross-legged position on a mat, preferably in Lotus position. You need to have your knees slightly below your waist; to help with circulation. You may also sit on your knees (Virasana) or in a chair. If you choose to sit in a chair, make sure that both of your feet are on the ground. Most importantly, be sure that your spine is erect. Keep your chin pointed down toward the ground.  *Yoga is the prelude to meditation, as it prepares and trains our body to be able to sit for long periods of time which is why most people who practice meditation also have a yoga routine.*

3. Let your hands fall by your sides with the palms facing upwards. If you are sitting on your knees or in a chair let your hands fall on your lap, close to your body, on the top of your upper thigh with palms also facing upwards. Here you may choose to hold a mudra. The gyan mudra is the most common. Gently touch the tip of the index finger to the tip of the thumb. The remaining fingers should be held straight and parallel to each other. Both hands are performing this action. This mudra improves circulation, calms the body and mind while relieving stress.

4. Gently close your eyes and then take a few deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling and really focusing your mind on the air as it is coming into your nose. Feel and visualize the stomach expanding. Then watch it go out of your nose, as the stomach collapses. Here you can choose to envision what it looks like inside yourself. How each molecule of air is dancing its way into your body and you are waking up each organ as the air sweeps in past the nose, throat, diaphragm, lungs, stomach, and so forth and so on (you can take that all the way to your little toe if you wish). You can do this for as many breaths as you feel necessary, from each breath you are becoming more and more relaxed. While breathing I am also, internally and continuously telling myself to relax, in a very gentle and loving voice.

5. Now that you are settling into your body and getting comfortable, scan it again to make sure there is no tension. If there is any tension, try to put an intention and thought on that body part and breathe into it more. Sometimes we tend to lock our jaw and may have clenched teeth. Be sure to relax this part of your body too. *You may notice that the tip of your tongue easily finds it’s home at the back of the front teeth and roof of the mouth. If not, don’t worry about the tongue, it will naturally find its way there. 

6. Now, take your eyes, that are still gently closed, and move them to look up to the space in the middle of your eyebrows known as the third-eye or if you are prone to headaches, focus on your heart. Now sense that your breath is coming in and out from this area of your third-eye or heart center. Continue to focus on your breath emanating from this spot. Now that you are focusing your energy there you may begin to see formless shapes moving about, do not get attached to these shapes or expect anything. Everyone is different and will have a unique experience, but the goal is relaxing–not automatic enlightenment.

7. While you are here, continue to be aware of your breath and this space. You can start to add the words so-hum. Inhaling “Soooooo” and exhaling “Hummmmm”. This is a basic mantra and it translates to “so = “I am” and hum = “that”. Do this for as long as you wish or opt out of saying anything at all, do as you please. Try this meditation for 2 minutes and increase daily to 10-20 minutes.

The goal of meditation is to become relaxed. The second is to observe yourself. To quietly listen to all the ludicrousness that your mind creates in your internal chatter box. It is to become aware of where our stresses stem from. It is to bring peace and harmony to yourself by quieting these woes. You will most likely experience a flood of thoughts at first and then slowly watch them disperse less and less as you continue to have a routine meditation practice. You may find yourself making grocery lists in your mind and/or roaming to a forgotten memory that happened so many years ago. You may find yourself noticing yourself, noticing thoughts. You may watch these thoughts come and go for sometime. You may have battles with yourself. There is no telling what will come up! Follow these thoughts and see where they take you. Once you notice that you are following them and you can only go so far with them, come back to that peaceful place of you and your relaxed breath.  Enjoy this space, the oxygen that invigorates and relaxes you, love the moments that you have with yourself everyday and all day. Be aware that you’re always meditating, whether you are sitting erected, laying on the couch or running a marathon. Life is breath, therefore life is meditation. May you all find peace in the chaos of life!

“Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.”–Sharon Salzberg

“It is never too late to turn on the light. Your ability to break an unhealthy habit or turn off an old tape doesn’t depend on how long it has been running; a shift in perspective doesn’t depend on how long you’ve held on to the old view.When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades. The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn’t see before. It’s never too late to take a moment to look.”~Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation